The invention is an improvement to bicycle trainers. In the prior art, individuals desiring to exercise with a bicycle have two options: (i) a stationary bicycle installed in a gym or a home or (ii) a portable trainer to which the individual attaches a standard bicycle. Both of these options require the user to exercise in one location, usually inside. A need exists in the area of bicycle training for equipment that allows an individual to use a specialized training regimen while riding a bicycle outside along a standard travel surface (i.e., a road, a track, a trail, and the like). Currently, an individual using a standard bicycle for exercise can adjust the intensity of the workout by riding the bicycle along planned routes of varying elevations, changing gears on the bicycle to require more intense pedaling, or both. A useful improvement to this kind of training would include equipment that gives the rider more options to vary the intensity of the pedaling required to continue. Along these lines, the rider needs bicycle accessories that adjust the resistance of tire revolution at the option of the rider and without being dependent upon the elevation of the travel path. Additionally, the bicycle training accessories could, at the option of the rider, be used to enhance a workout on a standard stationary bicycle trainer. The invention is set forth in the drawings herein as summarized below:
The invention encompasses a removable attachment for installing on a bicycle with the goal of altering the resistance to either front tire or back tire revolution. In this way, the bicycle includes enhanced physical training capabilities allowing the rider to use a bicycle on a standard trainer frame or as a regular bicycle for riding in the usual manner. In one embodiment, the attachment includes a resistance support connected to a bicycle and supporting a resistance device that engages a bicycle wheel or bicycle tire for altering the resistance to tire revolution. In this exemplary embodiment, the apparatus includes a resistance support attached to the bicycle proximate a bicycle tire along with a resistance device removably attached to the resistance support. In one embodiment, the resistance device defines a slot, and the resistance support projects through the slot to position the resistance device against the bicycle wheel or the bicycle tire.
In a different example, the invention includes the resistance support defining a groove or slot and the resistance device attached to the slot.
The resistance devices disclosed herein are interchangeable among themselves and attach to interchangeable resistance support devices. The resistance support devices may be positioned for associating with either the front tire or the back tire and may engage numerous points on the bicycle including but not limited to the seatstay, the down tube, the seat tube, and the like.